2 weeks before Christmas it is time to deck the halls!! All the decs get dragged down from the loft and the Christmas tree go's up. My tree is a memory tree! All of my baubles have come from around the world. Everywhere I go I get one from New York to Mexico! I have decorations that were my Nan's I have baby 1st Christmas ones! You name an event or a place and I have a bauble for it!! It is our tradition to put the Christmas CD's on start another bottle of Baileys and decorate the tree as a family.
Since I can remember it has also been a tradition to take a trip to London to see the light's, Hamleys window displays and the tree in Trafalgar Square. When I was a kid we always used to get a Wendy's burger on the way home. In recent years we have introduced taking my son to Winter Wonderland and Wendy's has been replaced by hog in a roll with apple sauce! Yum yum!
Finally Christmas Eve arrives!! It's open house at my mum's so the present dropping off can commence! Chips and dips, home made sausage rolls, mince pies, festive cupcakes and lashing of Baileys!! People come and go brining and taking presents! And then the moment I have been waiting for the 1st present is opened!! New pj's for seeing Santa in :)
Ok so whole family decked out in brand new pj's it's time to put out Santa's mince pie and beer (our Santa doesn't like milk and cookies!!) out by the fireplace along with my son's letter to the big man. When my son was small I started a few traditions of my own. I mixed porridge oats with silver glitter and put it in a little velvet bag and told him it was magic reindeer food that helps them fly home. We sprinkle this in the garden before bed. It sparkles in the moonlight and you can tell the little ones it helps the reindeers find your garden to land in!! When the munchkin finally go's to sleep its time for another cheeky Baileys and wrap the turkey in bacon and tin foil and pop it in the oven low to cook through the night! Makes the house smell lush!! Officially at midnight it is Christmas and the adults are allowed to pick one present from under the tree to open!! Then its off to bed with nothing left to do but wake up about 2am to put stockings at the bottom of everyone's bed! And I mean everyone's! Christmas isn't just for kids!!
At last the big day is here and it's time to open our stockings!! Each stocking must contain a Terry's chocolate orange or it is not Christmas!! I would like to say my son is so excited he wakes up at 4am, but I don't have a normal child I have one that likes his bed, so we have to go and wake him up with sleigh bells around 9am! I swear he is 8 going on 18!! Then it's down stairs for homemade ham and eggs (traditional Christmas breakfast) accompanied by Buck's Fizz (unfortunately Baileys is not considered acceptable before 11am boooo!) More presents this time from around the tree. Then there is lots of frantic kitchen business before the dinner is ferried out on plates, in bowls and whatever else is to hand and we can all tuck in! Our traditional Christmas dinner is turkey with all the trimmings and brussel sprouts are compulsory! Then it's time for pud then after eights, followed by coffee and liqueur's (another Baileys don't mind if I do hic!).
Boxing Day is almost as big a tradition in my house as Christmas! There are a few rules though!
No. 1 You must not get dressed,
No. 2 You have to only eat left over Christmas food,
No. 3 You cannot leave the house,
No. 4 You must play with all your new toys!!
Boxing Day is a relaxed event in our house to get over all the excitement of Christmas Day. We have a full English with bubble and squeak. Slob around in our pj's all day looking at each others presents and putting batteries in all of my sons new toys. We eat cold cuts with mash, pickles, pickled onions, beet root and red cabbage, all washed down with (no not more Baileys!!) cram soda! Mmmmmmm! I am mainly tea total on Boxing Day to give my liver a rest!
What are your family traditions?
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